S. Korea Manufacturing Confidence At 5-Month High

2/27/2012 1:58 AM ET

Confidence among South Korean manufacturers about prospects for their businesses in March improved for the second consecutive month, and reached the highest level in five months, data released by the Bank of Korea showed Monday.

The indicator of expectations of business conditions in March increased to 84 from 81 last month. The latest figure was the highest since October 2011, when the reading was 86. At the same time, the index of entrepreneurs' perception of the current business conditions in the manufacturing sector rose to 80 in February from 78 in January.

After seasonal adjustment, however, the outlook index for March fell to 84 from 87, while the current conditions indicator moved up to 85 in February from 83 in January.

The indicator of expectations of manufacturing turnover in March rose to 95 after reassuming stable at 91 in the previous month. The gauge of sentiment about sales in February rose to 91 from 85 in January, data showed.